Intestinal tract stem cells in green, cellular division in red. Credit: Helmholtz Munich/ Anika Böttcher
The intestinal tract is vital for keeping our energy balance and is a master at responding rapidly to modifications in nutrition and nutrient balance. It handles to do this with the help of intestinal cells that amongst other things are concentrated on the absorption of food elements or the secretion of hormones. In adult human beings, the intestinal cells restore every 5 to 7 days. The capability to continuously renew and establish all kinds of digestive tract cells from digestive stem cells is essential for the natural flexibility of the digestive system. A long-lasting diet plan high in sugar and fat interrupts this adjustment and can contribute to the advancement of obesity, type 2 diabetes, and gastrointestinal cancer
The molecular mechanisms behind this maladaptation become part of the research field of Heiko Lickert and his group at Helmholtz Munich and the Technical University of Munich. The researchers assume that digestive stem cells play an unique function in maladaptation. Utilizing a mouse design, the researchers investigated the impacts of a high-fat and high-sugar diet plan and compared it with a control group.
From high-calorie diet to increased risk of gastrointestinal cancer.
” The first thing we saw was that the small intestine increases greatly in size on the high-calorie diet plan,” says research study leader Anika Böttcher. “Together with Fabian Theis team of computational biologists at Helmholtz Munich, we then profiled 27,000 digestive tract cells from control diet and high fat/high sugar diet-fed mice. Utilizing new artificial intelligence techniques, we hence found that intestinal stem cells divide and distinguish significantly quicker in the mice on an unhealthy diet.” The researchers hypothesize that this is because of an upregulation of the relevant signaling paths, which is associated with an acceleration of tumor development in lots of cancers. “This could be a crucial link: Diet affects metabolic signaling, which results in excessive development of digestive stem cells and ultimately to an increased risk of intestinal cancer,” states Böttcher.
With the help of this high-resolution method, the scientists have likewise been able to study uncommon cell enters the intestine, for example, hormone-secreting cells. Amongst their findings, they were able to show that an unhealthy diet leads to a reduction in serotonin-producing cells in the intestinal tract. This can result in intestinal tract inertia (typical of diabetes mellitus) or increased cravings. Furthermore, the study revealed that the absorbing cells adapt to the high-fat diet plan, and their performance boosts, thus directly promoting weight gain.
Crucial basic research for non-invasive therapies
These and other findings from the research study lead to a brand-new understanding of illness mechanisms associated with a high-calorie diet. “What we have found out is of vital importance for establishing alternative non-invasive treatments,” states research study leader Heiko Lickert, in summing up the results. The research study group will analyze this and other approaches in subsequent research studies.
Reference: “Diet-induced change of intestinal tract stem cell function underlies weight problems and prediabetes in mice” by Alexandra Aliluev, Sophie Tritschler, Michael Sterr, Lena Oppenländer, Julia Hinterdobler, Tobias Greisle, Martin Irmler, Johannes Beckers, Na Sun, Axel Walch, Kerstin Stemmer, Alida Kindt, Jan Krumsiek, Matthias H. Tschöp, Malte D. Luecken, Fabian J. Theis, Heiko Lickert and Anika Böttcher, 22 September 2021, Nature Metabolism.DOI: 10.1038/ s42255-021-00458-9.
Heiko Lickert and Anika Böttcher conduct research at the Helmholtz Diabetes Center of Helmholtz Munich. They specialize in the advancement of regenerative treatment approaches for many widespread illness associated with impaired gut function. Lickert heads the Institute for Diabetes and Regeneration Research and is a teacher at the Technical University of Munich (TUM). Both are scientists at the German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD).
The existing study has actually been published as a cover story in Nature Metabolism.
With the aid of this high-resolution method, the researchers have actually also been able to study unusual cell types in the intestinal tract, for example, hormone-secreting cells.
The ability to constantly renew and develop all types of digestive cells from digestive tract stem cells is vital for the natural versatility of the digestion system. The scientists assume that intestinal stem cells play a special function in maladaptation. “Together with Fabian Theis group of computational biologists at Helmholtz Munich, we then profiled 27,000 digestive tract cells from control diet plan and high fat/high sugar diet-fed mice. “This could be an important link: Diet affects metabolic signaling, which leads to excessive growth of digestive tract stem cells and eventually to an increased danger of gastrointestinal cancer,” states Böttcher.